This invention relates to irrigation systems, and more particularly, to a lawn chemical application system integrated with an irrigation system.
It is generally known in the art to integrate a chemical dispenser with an irrigation system. This allows the irrigation system to apply chemicals such as fertilizer to a lawn or other area. Using an irrigation system to apply such chemicals offers many advantages over manual application. For example, it can save a tremendous amount of time and labor and can provide for a more even application of the chemicals.
Although they offer many advantages, known lawn chemical dispensing systems still suffer from a number of disadvantages. For example, such systems have often been complex and have often been difficult and costly to assemble and install. They have typically been difficult to use and have often required service calls from specially trained technicians. Known systems have often obstructed the flow of water too much, have often provided insufficient mixing of the chemicals with the water, and have often lacked flexibility in the types and forms of chemicals that may be used in the systems. Known systems have also failed to provide protection against undesired seepage of chemicals from the dispenser into the irrigation system when the irrigation system was not in use. Such seepage can lead to high concentrations of chemicals in isolated areas of a system that can lead to uneven application or over-application of the chemicals. It is also undesirable to allow high concentrations of potentially corrosive chemicals to seep into and remain in an irrigation system for long periods of time between uses.